Product Program

As the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world, the
Girl Scout Cookie Program and the Girl Scout fall product program are
foundational experiences during which girls learn to think like
entrepreneurs and to develop vital business skills. Plus, Girl Scout
Cookie proceeds power fun and enriching experiences for Girl Scout
troops year-round!

Teaching Essential Skills for a Lifetime of Leadership

Through the Girl Scout Cookie Program, girls as young as five
develop these five essential skills that will help them be successful
today and throughout their lives:

Goal setting: Girls learn to create a plan to
reach their goals.

Decision making: Girls learn to make
decisions on their own and as a team.

Money
management: Girls learn to create a budget and handle
money.

People skills: Girls find their voice
and up their confidence through customer
interactions that build relationships.

Business
ethics: Girls learn to act responsibly and honestly, both in
business and in life.

Before your cookie bosses open shop, be sure to check out these
helpful resources that will empower you to:

Manage your troop’s funds.

Learn how girls
participate in money earning.

Discover how your troop can
reach its financial goals.

Understand just how much your
girls are capable of by grade level and how their
entrepreneurial skills progress.

A Sweet Tradition

It has been decades since Girl Scouts began selling home-baked
cookies to raise money. The idea was so popular that in 1936 Girl
Scouts enlisted bakers to handle the growing demand—and the rest is
history. Explore Girl Scout Cookie History to find
out how cookies have bolstered generations of girls who make the world
a better place.

Where Cookie Proceeds Go

After paying for the cost of cookies and materials, Girl Scout Cookie
proceeds stay local and help councils provide Girl Scout programs
in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), the outdoors,
life skills, entrepreneurship, and more—in camps, through leadership
training, and multiple other ways. A portion of the proceeds is
directly managed by girls, and it’s up to them to decide how to invest
their troop’s share of the earnings. Check out the “Where the
Cookie Money Goes” handout to learn more.

Your council will provide a breakdown of how cookie program proceeds
support Girl Scout activities locally. Please share this information
with girls and their families so everyone understands
that product program sales make it possible for your Girl Scout
council to serve girls.

Troop members share in the proceeds from a successful product
program; proceeds aren’t distributed to individual girl members.
Girls, however, may be eligible for rewards and credits that they put
toward council-sponsored camps, programs, and Girl Scout swag. The
council plan for rewards applies equally to all girls participating in
the product program activity. Visit the cookie section Rewards and Proceeds for more information about
individual rewards and troop proceeds locally.

“All money and other assets, including property, that are raised,
earned, or otherwise received in the name of and for the benefit of
Girl Scouting must be held and authorized by a Girl Scout council or
Girl Scouts of the USA. Such money and other assets must be used for
the purposes of Girl Scouting.” —“Ownership of Assets,” Blue Book of Basic
Documents (February 2019), page 22

Making s’mores under the stars, creating a lasting impact on your
community, or ordering supplies for an eye-opening STEM project—there
are limitless ways to put troop proceeds toward dynamic Girl Scout
experiences! There are a few things, however, that don’t qualify
for “purposes of Girl Scouting,” for instance, using troop proceeds to
purchase memberships in or uniforms for another organization. We
encourage all councils to remind their volunteers of this policy in
order to protect the all-girl environment and to avoid diversion of
Girl Scout funds.

Your Council’s Role

When you are set up for success, you are better able to set up your
girls for success! That’s why every year, your council provides
trainings, guidelines, and procedures for conducting the Girl Scout
Cookie Program and fall product program and determines how the
proceeds and product rewards system will be managed. Check
the cookie section Training Resources to find the answers you need
as well as local trainings and resources.

Each council also selects the vendors of its choice to provide the
products for their product programs. Two commercial bakers are
licensed by GSUSA to produce Girl Scout Cookies: Little
Brownie Bakers and ABC Bakers. For additional information on cookie
varieties, including nutritional details, visit the Meet the Cookies section on girlscoutcookies.org.

Councils also work with vendors to offer magazine subscriptions, nut
and candy products, and more for the fall product program. These
companies are Ashdon Farms, Trophy Nut, QSP/GAO and M2
Media group. Each provides online tools and activities for girls
to download. Magazine selection and sales may take place online—check
with your council for more details.

Your Role

You play an exciting role in giving your girls opportunities to
practice the five skills in a girl-led, cooperative setting. Some of
the things you’ll do include:

Get girls excited about the opportunities to support her troop
(but allowing her participation to be voluntary).

Support
both competitive and apprehensive cookie bosses, helping all your
girls set meaningful goals for themselves.

Not only can girls sell individually, both in-person and using the
online tools provided by each vendor, they can also participate in
group booth sales during product programs. Your local council has
additional guidance and processes to market and ensure every booth is
in a safe and appropriate location for girls

As your girls grow, your role will evolve from a hands-on one to
providing oversight and support where needed. No matter their ages,
remember that volunteers and parents/caregivers do not
sell the product. Your role is to encourage your girls and let their
entrepreneurial spirit soar. Learning by doing is exactly how your
girls develop the business savvy and communication skills that will
empower them to reach any goals they set for themselves.

Another critical task for each troop is to establish a clear
accounting system for all proceeds and product during the programs.
It's up to you to make sure that money is spent wisely, that excellent
records are kept (remember to keep copies of all receipts in a binder
or folder), and that all product is tracked. For older girls, your job
is to oversee their work as they learn to keep impeccable records. Be
sure to attend product program orientation or training so you are
aware of the systems and helpful tools available.

The Girl Scout Cookie Program and the fall product program can be
exhilarating and busy times during the troop year, but you’re never
alone in your efforts! You can reach out to your service unit product
program manager when you‘re feeling stuck, or you can build a cookie team to provide the support your
troop needs.

Product Program Safety Girl safety is the top priority while selling Girl
Scout Cookies and other products. Volunteers, families, and girls
should be familiar with and practice the safety guidelines outlined in
local program resources as well as those available in the safety section of girlscoutcookies.org.

Will your troop use the Digital Cookie® platform to
manage its cookie business? Check the specific guidelines provided by
each cookie vendor before participating. Remember that:

Girls may only post about their participation on Digital
Cookie in a way that allows them to restrict access to family and
friends, such as on Facebook.

Parents/guardians must
approve the content of a girl’s Digital Cookie webpage before it
goes live.

For girls under age 13, a parent/guardian must
manage the girl’s web site and be responsible for all content.

The Buddy System Using the buddy system, girls are divided into teams of two.
Each girl is responsible for staying with her buddy at all times,
warning her buddy of danger, giving her buddy immediate assistance if
safe to do so, and seeking help if needed. Girls are encouraged to
stay near the group or buddy with another team of two so that in the
event someone is injured, one person cares for the patient while two
others seek help.

Preparing for Your Girl Scout Cookie Booth

Cookie booths—that is, cookie pop-up sales in areas with lots of foot
traffic—are a fun way for girls to connect with their community and
practice their sales pitch with new customers. Booth locations must be
approved by councils, facilitated within council jurisdiction,
and participants must follow all council guidelines with regard
to setting up, running, and taking down a booth.

Using your best judgment in setting up cookie booths in
locations that will be open, accessible, and safe for all girls and
potential customers.

Choosing a high traffic area—this
could be your local supermarket, mall, or park—where you’ll maximize
the number of visitors to your booth.

Checking out
your booth site ahead of the sale. Talk to business owners in the
area so they’ll know what to expect. Find out what security measures
are in place—these may include lights for evening sales and whether
a security camera watches the booth area—and where the nearest
bathrooms are located.

Respecting the surrounding
businesses by making sure your booth isn’t blocking a store entrance
or exit.

Encouraging your girls to unleash their
creativity—and work on their advertising skills—to make colorful
signs and booth decorations that potential customers can’t resist!
Remind girls to be polite and to have their sales pitch ready for
interested customers.

And keep in mind:

A minimum of two volunteers (at least one of whom is a
registered Girl Scout volunteer with the required background
check) and one girl should be present at the booth at all times.
With two or more volunteers, you’ll have adequate booth coverage if
the girls need to be accompanied to the restroom.

If your
Daisies are still learning how to make correct change, help them
handle money as needed. But remember that girls make all sales at
the booth!

Changing your cookie booth hours or location?
Keep your customers in the loop and update your baker’s Digital
Cookie system with the new details. All scheduled booths are
available on the Cookie Finder App (IOS or Android).

Certain locations may be
inappropriate for young girls based on the standards of your local
community, may negatively impact the cookie program experience for
girls, and/or may negatively impact our brand in your community. For
additional clarity, girls should not sell in or in front of
establishments that they themselves cannot legally patronize.

Additionally, with respect to marijuana dispensaries, we have
been steadfastly combating the unauthorized uses of the Girl Scout
trademark by the cannabis community, which has been
marketing—without our authorization—certain cannabis products under
our youth-appealing brand. We are continuing to aggressively fight
these unauthorized uses of the Girl Scout brand and hope that our
councils and volunteers will join Girl Scouts of the USA’s efforts
by discouraging cookie booth locations at such locations.

For more tips to make your booth a success, check out our Cookie Booth Essentials. For additional
information about setting up a booth and safety and security
suggestions, consult your council guidelines

Cookie Donation Programs

Cookies also help girls make a big impact in their community! Your
council may have an established cookie donation program where
customers can purchase cookies that will be donated to an organization
by your council. Cookie donations are not only a great talking point
for girls to share with their customers—they’re also a thoughtful way
to show girls how cookies can help them give back.

With cookie donations, remember that:

All cookie donation programs must be approved by your
council.

Donated cookies must stay within the council
jurisdiction unless your council has the approval from other council
jurisdictions.

Donated products cannot be resold and must
be used in a responsible and ethical way.

Donated products
are used in a way that does not undermine the work of councils or
jeopardize the integrity of the Girl Scout brand.

Handling Product Complaints

Girl Scout Cookies are well loved and for good reason—it has always
been the practice of Girl Scout councils and the bakers to guarantee
customer satisfaction with their delicious cookies. If a customer is
not satisfied with the quality of their cookies for some reason, they
can contact the baker via the phone number printed on the side of the
cookie package.

Troops should notify their council if they are aware of any customer dissatisfaction.

Recognizing Cookie Sellers in the Media

The Girl Scout Cookie Program has always been about and focused on
the program outcomes through which girls learn important
entrepreneurial and life skills and invest their earnings to
positively affect their local communities. The cookie program has
never been about and does not focus on individual girls’ sales results.

There are many impressive cookie bosses throughout the United
States, and the Girl Scout organization will continue to recognize
dynamic cookie sellers for various achievements tied to the Girl
Scout Cookie Program.

Girl Scouts of the USA does not
currently track the top seller(s) of Girl Scout Cookies on a
national level and does not identify a specific Girl Scout as the
number one or “record-breaking” national cookie seller.

Girl Scout councils should not reference such girls as “top
sellers” in the media. Doing so detracts from the essence of the
Girl Scout Cookie Program, which is based on offering girls
important experiences in entrepreneurship, business, and finance
from a young age as well as providing girls and local Girl Scout
councils with the funds necessary to power amazing experiences and
opportunities for Girl Scouts year-round.